Tamagawa Shizenshikomi Junmai Yamahai Iwai Muroka Namagenshu

Tamagawa Shizenshikomi Junmai Yamahai Iwai Muroka Namagenshu (玉川 自然仕込 純米酒山廃 祝 無濾過生原酒 2024BY) is brewed using Iwai, a sake rice developed in Kyōto Prefecture in 1933. The grain is large, with a distinct shinpaku (opaque starchy core), and dissolves readily during fermentation, producing a full-bodied, richly flavoured sake. Iwai is a local speciality rice, valued for its quality and rarity. It is mainly used for high-grade, premium sake.

This release is the first in four years, following requests from enthusiasts for the return of the 2019 bottling. It is made with Iwai polished to 66% and brewed without added yeast, using the traditional yamahai method maintained since the Meiji period . The sake is bottled without filtration, pasteurisation, or dilution, preserving its original character as a muroka nama genshu. Unlike most yamahai junmai in the brewery's range, it is brewed in a sweeter style, highlighting the softness and roundness of Iwai rice.

The flavour has noticeable sweetness balanced by yamahai depth and complexity. It remains consistent and appealing whether served chilled, at room temperature, or gently warmed. It pairs well with white fish sashimi, tempura, grilled eel with tare sauce, parboiled pike conger (hamo), and rock oysters. With an alcohol content of 19.3%, it can also be enjoyed on the rocks, with soda water, or as a base for cocktails, and keeps well after opening, with flavour developing positively over time.

Kinoshita Shuzō, in Kōyama, Kyōtango, Kyōto Prefecture, was founded in 1842 by the fifth head of the Kinoshita family, Kinoshita Zenbei (木下善兵衛), who reportedly used the harvest from almost thirty hectares of rice fields and the copious spring water gushing from the mountain behind the brewery. The hereditary name Zenbei was passed down to the 6th and 7th generations. Then, the company was led by the 8th, 9th and 10th generations (Sentaro, Zenichiro and Juichi, respectively) before being handed on to Kinoshita Yoshito, the current president and the 11th in line.

The brand name Tamagawa can be translated as "Jewel River." The name is thought to refer to the Kawakamidani River, which flows by the brewery. The character 玉 (tama) means a jewel and has sacred implications in Japan's native Shinto . 川 (kawa or gawa in compound words) means river.

Kinoshita Shuzō is one of the few Japanese breweries with a foreign tōji, Philip Harper. Born in the UK, he graduated from Oxford University. He taught English under the JET programme until he discovered sake. He worked at Umenoyado Sake Brewery for ten years before taking and passing the Nanbu Tōji Association's qualification test in 2001, earning him the title of 'Tōji'. He was the first foreigner to become a toji (and the only one at the time). He then worked at Umenoyado Shuzō, Daimon Shuzō and other breweries before becoming tōji at Kinoshita Shuzō in 2008.

Kinoshita Yoshito gave him full responsibility for everything except following the locally favoured taste of regular sake and daiginjō. He immediately began producing kimoto sake, which does not use brewing lactic acid, and yamahai, which uses only natural yeast from the brewery. In addition to new sake types like 'Icebreaker' and 'Time Machine', Tamagawa's legacy is reflected in the sake he produces.

Along with the new master brewer, the brewery's logo was redesigned by Sakane Katsusuke with an innovative design to symbolise the new Tamagawa. It is now widely known as the 'Marutama mark' (丸玉マーク).